Mahony Says He Was Not Prepared for Priest Abuse – Carolyn Costello Reports

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Mahony Says He Was Not Prepared for Priest Abuse – Carolyn Costello Reports

LOS ANGELES — Cardinal Roger Mahony says he was not prepared to deal with child sexual abuse…when he first came to lead the Los Angeles archdiocese.

“Nothing in my own background or education equipped me to deal with this grave problem. In two years [1962—1964] spent in graduate school earning a master’s degree in social work, no textbook and no lecture ever referred to the sexual abuse of children”.

In a letter …posted to his blog Mahony says …” I have stated time and time again that I made mistakes, especially in the mid-1980s. I apologized for those mistakes, and committed myself to make certain that the archdiocese was safe for everyone”.

The letter is addressed to Mahony’s successor Archbishop Jose Gomez…one day after Gomez relieved Mahony–of all public duties in light of the Cardinal’s mishandling of clergy sex abuse of children decades ago.

Details of that abuse were made public for the first time yesterday when the church posted on its website 12-thousand of previously secret personnel files for 122 priests accused of molesting children.

Mahony writes…”from 2003 to 2012 the archdiocese underwent several compliance audits by professional firms retained for this purpose…every single audit concluded that the archdiocese was in full compliance with the charter.

Addressing Gomez, Mahony writes..”when you were formally received as our archbishop on may 26, 2010, you began to become aware of all that had been done here over the years for the protection of children and youth….”

“Not once over these past years did you ever raise any questions about our policies, practices, or procedures in dealing with the problem of clergy sexual misconduct involving minors”

“Unfortunately, I cannot return now to the 1980s and reverse actions and decisions made then. But when I retired as the active archbishop, I handed over to you an archdiocese that was second to none in protecting children and youth”.